There is a lot more to the podcast world than true crime stories and dating advice. Although NPR “Morning Edition” may give a person traumatic flashbacks to elementary school mornings in the car with their mother, there are thousands of podcasts to listen to and thousands of Villanovans to give recommendations. Read along for a few podcast favorites of Villanovans.
With every influencer participating in the recent podcast boom, the podcast market is overwhelming. Although putting on a show while doing laundry or heading on a walk through the neighborhoods behind South Campus might not initially seem like a challenging decision, anyone who has ever browsed the Spotify podcast section knows it is.
Senior Maggie Winston is a frequent podcast listener. Whenever she goes on a run, she carefully picks out what to play.
“Recently, I’ve been listening to ‘SmartLess’ with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett,” Winston said. “Each episode, one of the hosts chooses a mystery guest and surprises the other two hosts. They did it with Matthew McConaughey, and that episode was really good. They’ve had Bill Hader, Bradley Cooper, Kamala Harris. Just a lot of cool guests.”
Winston also listens to the podcast “Sounds like a Cult,” which explores the modern-day cults of our society. Episodes range from the cult of SoulCycle to the cult of Disney adults.
Senior Carlie Pollice’s favorite podcasts are “It’s Me, Tinx” and “The Toast.” In Pollice’s words, “Tinx’s podcast is definitely for the girls.” The podcast covers pop culture, dating and self-help.
“‘The Toast’ does fast-five stories where they talk about five recent stories in popular culture,” Pollice said. “It’s hosted by two sisters. They also do a ‘Dear Toasters’ segment where they give advice to listeners.”
Want to look beyond the typical influencer podcast? Maybe you are hoping to learn something new while on your hot girl (or boy) walk. If this is the case, senior Lydia McFarlane recommends checking out New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast. At around 20 minutes in length and released five days a week, “The Daily” provides the news of the day in bite-sized segments.
Popular podcast options for Villanovans are sometimes ones that dip into true crime. Providing hauntingly true stories, there are an array of spooky podcasts on the market.
“Although I am not a huge podcast listener, I love ‘Crime Junkie,’” senior Alex Tessendorf said. “I love anything true crime from documentaries to podcasts, so I find it fun to listen to. The hosts come out with a new episode each week where they explore mystery cases. Some are recent cases, and some are a bit older.”
For the guys who might not have found a podcast that is right for them, senior Joe Young recommends the “Joe Rogan Experience.” Despite controversies that have risen from his podcast, Rogan hosts guests such as Elon Musk, the Proud Boys, Mike Tyson and Lance Armstrong.
As an avid podcast fan myself, I have come with my own personal recommendations. My personal favorite podcast is “Binchtopia.” As the hosts state, “if Plato and Aristotle had internet addictions and knew what ‘gaslighting’ was, they’d probably make this podcast.” Covering everything from the manosphere to homeschooling to horse girls, hosts Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb take listeners through “our current cultural hellscape.”
If you like to keep up with celebrities, “Celebrity Memoir Book Club,” might be the podcast for you. Each week, the hosts read and dissect a celebrity’s memoir. Celebrities they have covered include Paris Hilton, Prince Harry, Mindy Kaling and Caitlyn Jenner.
The world of podcasts is a world for everyone. Hopefully, you have found some recommendations from your fellow Villanovans. Plug in those earbuds, head to the Wildcat Path and go forth into the expanse of podcast listening. There is always something new to learn.
